Cigarette tobacco feed



Jan. 28, 1941. J. w. WARREN 2,230,195

CIGARETTE TOBACCO FEED Filed March 26, 1958 INVENTOR JAMES w. WARREN BYATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,230,195CIGARETTE TOBACCO FEED poration of New Jersey Application March 26,1938, Serial N0. 198,277

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a tobacco feed for a continuous rod cigarettemachine, especially for a machine of the type in which shredded tobaccosupplied from a mass thereof in a hopper is fed between a bottom feeddrum and a refuser drum in a stream which follows a path extendingdownwardly through a comb and a picker roll to a rotatable winnowerwhich is run at relatively high speed to gather the tobacco and hurl itthrough different trajectories, thus separating the desired shreds oftobacco from undesirably heavy pieces, stems and foreign matter whichmaybe contained within the tobacco mass.

The shower of tobacco in desired shreds falls progressively in a matupon a surface on which it is advanced to a feed couple, such a surfacebeing preferably the travelling surface of an endless conveyor, as forexample, an endless belt or conveyor apron by which it is delivered tothe aforesaid feed couple, and is fed thereby in the form of anothershower to the strip of wrapper web, and is there formed into a rod.

The operation of machines of this type has been subject to thedisadvantage that a gap existed between the path followed by the bladesof the rotary winnower and path of the mat formed on the collectingsurface by the shower of desired shreds from the winnower, and this gappermitted the passage therethrough of air currents which blew theshredded components of the shower in various directions, resulting inthe formation of a mat characterized by uneven thickness and containingridges and intervening depressions which were represented in the rod byhard spots and soft spots. When a rod of this uneven formation issevered at a soft spot, the result is to turn out two cigarettes eachhaving loose tobacco in the ends at which they adjoin each other priorto severance. The existence of loose tobacco at the end placed in themouth of a smoker is objectionable for well-known reasons, and if a likecondition exists at the end to be lighted, it is objectionable forequally wellknown reasons. Accordingly, many rejects are due to thecause above described. Of course, the existence of either a soft spot ora hard spot at any portion of a cigarette has its characteristicdisadvantages, to be obviated if possible.

Under such conditions, the primary object of the present invention is toprovide means to avoid the occurrence of air currents capable ofproducing the defects above described, and in pursuance of the abovegeneral object, it is an object of the invention to so arrange thewinnower, its arcuate bottom concave, and the stretch of surface onwhich the shower from the winnower descends, that there will be no suchgap through which an air current can find access to the shower. Acognate object is to so arrange the arcuate concave that its lengthwisedimension, crosswise of the hopper, will bring the ends of the arcuateconcave into close relation with the side walls of the hopper, in orderto prevent the passage of air through crevices at such regions also, andthe disturbance of the shower at these points. Accordingly, When thisinvention is carried into eifect, the shower will form an even mat ofuniform thickness upon the collecting surface and thus the rodfabricated in the rod-former will be substantially freed from theoccurrence of soft or hard spots, so far as they have been due to thecause above described, and more perfect cigarettes will therefore beproduced.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as thedescription of the particular physical embodiment thereof selected fordescription progresses.

The accompanying drawing is a View of a somewhat schematic character, insectional elevation, of part of a tobacco feed in the construction ofwhich the present invention has been embodied.

In the now preferred embodiment of the invention thus selected forillustration, the automatic tobacco feed mechanism shown comprises atobacco hopper 5, a bottom feed drum 6, a refuser drum I, a comb 8, apicker-feed drum roll 9, a feeding apron or conveyor belt ID, acollecting apron or surface H, a filler roll couple l2l3, a picker roll14 and a chute 15, all constructed and cooperating to deliver the finalshower W of desired shreds to the web P of wrapper paper preparatory toformation of the rod, in a manner well-known in the art and thereforerequiring no detailed description, other than that incidental to thefollowing specification.

Provision is also made of a winnowing device of substantiallyconventional form, which comprises a rapidly rotating shaft or memberl6, adjacent to the feed drum 6, and carrying a fixed core l1 formedwith spaced apart blades l8, in somewhat radial disposition, whichgather the stream of tobacco shred T issuing from the drum 6 and picker9, the winnower hurling the stream through different trajectories,determined by the differences in mass of the individual shreds. Inoperation, the desirable lighter shreds S will fall upon the forwardingapron ll, while the undesirable heavier pieces of stem and foreignmatface in close proximity to an arcuate concave 20,

which terminates at its lower end in closely arranged disposition withrelation to the pathof T the winnower blades l8, extending upwardtherefrom to the point 2| which defines the nearest approach of theblades I8 to the feed drum 6.

The contact of the concave with the apron i l makes a seal which servestoprevent aircurrents from passing therethrough, and the length of thearcuate concave is preferably equal to the breadth of the hopper 5, sothat no gaps for-passage of-air will be left between the winnower andthe adjacent walls 5 ofthe hopper. This contact of the i concavewith'the apron tends to remove anytobaccodust which may accumulate ontheedge of: thelcwer end of the concave. Otherwise the tobacco dustaccumulating at this point may occasionally drop off upon the apron andform non-uniform spots in the cigarette rod.

Accordingly, the desired shreds S of winnowed tobacco descend evenlyupon the apron I l, forming thereon-an even mat'of desired tobaccoshreds having a unifo'rm thickness, and which are delivered smoothlythroughthe feed couple l2l3 and the picker roll M to and through thechute E, into the-trough P forming part of the rodformer of -a cigarettemachine.

In order to prevent shorttobacco from leaking from the hopper at pointand also from passing betweenthe winnower and the drum 6 onto thecollecting surface Ii, the concaves are extendedup and around thewinnower I8 to a point Zi'and then around the drum-6 to-the point 25:This prevents the delivery to the mat of any uncontrolled masses ofshorts. 1

There may be considerable variation in the structure of the concaveelement by whichithis feature of the present invention is put intopractice, and in the instance illustrated the concave 26 is attached toa band 22 receiving'one end of an adjusting screw 23, carried by across-bar 24 on the feed-frame, andwhich provides means for.

the adiustment'of the concave in a vertical .direction soas to maintainthe desired contacting pressure of the ends of the concave'with the,aprons; An extension Ma of the concave ZIl-is so placed within thehopper that its end 25 also acts toprevent air leakage. the collectingsurface ll with-the rotating blades 48 is such'also'that any desiredshreds which may be carried downward and rearward by the bladesit of thewinnower will be cleared therefrom by the forward movement of thesurface I l, which? acts as a doctor for thewinnower.

What. is claimed is:

l. A' tobacco feed comprising a winnower,

means to feed a stream of shredded tobacco from a supply thereof to saidwinnower, which is rotatable in the pathof said stream in a direction tointerceptsaid stream of tobacco-and impel the particles of tobacco overthe top of the'winnower and-away from said stream, aconcave elementhavingan-arcuate face extending around a substantial arc of thelower-circumference of said rotary winnower at the side thereof adjacentsaid The cooperation of means and in close proximity to the periphery ofsaid winnower, and a conveyor having an endp less travelling surfaceadapted to receive a shower of desired shreds from said winnower, saidconveyor being disposed with its working surface in tangent relationwith the lower surface of said arcuate concave to exclude the passage ofair currents between the concave and: conveyor, and thereby to promotethe showering of said-tobacco onto said conveyor by said winnower'in amat of substantially uniform thickness.

2. A tobacco feed comprising a winnower,

means to feed a stream of shredded tobacco from a-supplyth'e'reof to thewinnower, which is rotatable in" the path of said stream in a directionto inter'cept said stream of tobacco and impel the particles of tobaccoup over the top of the winnow'er and away from said stream, and aconcave element having an arcuate face extending around a substantialarcof the. lower circumference of saidrota'r'y winnower; and a conveyorapronhaving an endless travelling surface "adapted .to receive ashowerof 'desiredshreds fromsaid'winnower.

A tobacco feed comprising a winnower;

means to feed a streamof shredded tobacco from a supply'thereof to saidwinnower,- which is ro-" tatabl'e in the path'of said stream, a'concaveel'ementhaving anarcuate face extendingar'oundf a substantial arc of thelower circumference 'of said rotary winnower, and a'conveyor having anendless travelling surface adapted to receive a shower of desired'shredsfrom'said winnower,

said conveyor being disposed with its working,

surface in such relation with said-concave as to remove from the lowerend ed'ge ther'eofany" shreds of tobacco which may'tend to accumulatethereon.

4. A tobacco feed'for. a continuous rod-cigarette drum andunder said"refuser drum, a picker roll cooperating to loosen thetobacco in saidstream thereof, as ititravels downward from betweensaiddrumsa. winnowerrotatable in the downwardpath of said loose'stream, a bottomiconcaveelement having two merging arcuate portions concentric "withsaidwinnower and bottom drum extendinggfroma plane substantially definedby the axes--of:rotation of said winnoweran'd said bottom-drum, theportion concentric with the. lower: drum': extending :i-in'to tangentrelation'ship to said :conveyor 1 and. a I conveyor apron :having anendless travelling surface adapted to receive a shower of desiredshreds-from said winnower,

said conveyor-apron being disposed with its work ing surfacein'substantiallytangent relation'with the lower edglecf saidarcuateportionof the concave which is corrcentri'c'f with the winnower,thereby'to exc'ludeflthe passage of air currents between the concave andconveyor. apron, and thus ,to promote the even showering of said tobaccoby said winnower upon said apron in an. even mat ofsubstantially:uniform thickness, free from the.ridges or irregularitiescharacteristicof such a stream when built up of a shower subject' to disturbing aircurrents from a source beyond the hopper. v

5. A tobacco feed comprising a winnower, means to feed a stream ofshredded tobacco from a supply thereof to said winnower, which isrotatable in the path of said stream, a concave element having anarcuate face extending around a substantial arc of the lowercircumference of said rotary winnower, a conveyor apron having anendless traveling surface adapted to receive a shower of desired shredsfrom said winnower, means to maintain said concave in position toexclude the passage of air currents between the concave and conveyor,said feeding means including a feed drum, and a concave elementextending beneath the lower circumference of said feed drum and meetingthe first named concave adjacent to the region of nearest approach ofthe peripheries of the winnower and feed drum to each other, saidarcuate concaves being constituted by integral divergent faces of aunitary element.

6. A T tobacco feed comprising a winnower, mechanism to feed a stream ofshredded tobacco from a supply thereof to said winnower which isrotatable in the path of said stream, and a conveyor having an endlesstraveling collecting surface adapted to receive a shower of desiredshreds from said winnower, and means to prevent any air currents betweenthe winnower and said coilecting surface other than those entrainedwithin the circumference of the winnower.

JAMES W. WARREN.

